The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Wynnston family name to the British Isles. Wynnston comes from the Old English personal nameWynstan. That name is derived from the Old English elements wyn, meaning joy, and stan, meaning stone.

Early History of the Wynnston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wynnston research.Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1556, 1576, 1655 and 1602 are included under the topic Early Wynnston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wynnston Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Winston, Winstone and others.

Early Notables of the Wynnston family (pre 1700)

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wynnston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wynnston family to Ireland

Some of the Wynnston family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.Another 111 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wynnston family to the New World and Oceana

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Wynnston or a variant listed above: John Winston settled in Virginia in 1663; Nicholas Winston settled in Barbados in 1654; Stephen Winston settled in Boston in 1716; Thomas Winston settled in Maryland in 1725..